[Herald Interview] A rare glimpse of the ‘factorylike’ K-pop idol training system

Lee Jong-im, a pop culture expert and author of “Idol Trainees’ Sweat and Tears,” goes beneath the surface of the heavily fortified K-pop industry and lays bare some ugly truths about the challenging idol training system. Sitting down at a cafe in central Seoul, she shared valuable insight gained through months of research and numerous attempts at interviews since 2016 -- a time when idol training shows like Mnet’s “Produce 101” were just starting to gain a presence on South Korean TV.After docu

Jan. 18, 2019

Korean film ‘Underdog’ invited to Japanese animation festival

In a first for a South Korean animated film, “Underdog” has been invited to compete in the Tokyo Anime Award Festival. “Underdog” is an animated film about homeless and abandoned dogs. In the film, a dog named Moongchi (voiced by Do Kyung-soo of the K-pop boy band EXO) is abandoned but goes on an adventure to find true freedom with other stray dogs.  (New Entertainment) (New Entertainment)The film opened the 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in July, and went on to win the best

Jan. 18, 2019

[Herald Interview] Hip-hop film seeks to show realities of life in the Philippines

For Philippine director Treb Monteras II, hip-hop has always been about politics and social issues, and no situation is more pressing today for the country than that of de facto martial law under authoritarian President Rodrigo Duterte.Director Treb Monteras II (Treb Monteras II)“Respeto” -- “respect” in both Tagalog and Spanish -- is the director’s first feature film, after helming more than 300 music videos since 2004. The main role of aspiring street rapper Hendrix is played by Abra, while th

Jan. 17, 2019

[Herald Review] Indie film ‘February’ stops halfway toward greatness

From the reader’s perspective, I imagine the most annoying thing to read in a film review is “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but ...” Having said that, this is the cop-out I choose in describing Kim Joong-hyun’s “February”: an indie film that shows a lot of promise, great characters jointly created by the actors and the smart director, impressive imagery and controlled emotions, but lacking the critical “it” factor that weaves the narrative together.The film stars Jo Min-kyoung as Min-kyoung

Jan. 17, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission(Korea) Opened Jan. 9DramaDirected by Eom Yu-naWith Korea colonized by the Japanese, a handful of scholars, including Ryu Jeong-hwan (Yoon Kye-sang), attempt to keep the Korean language alive by publishing a dictionary. Ryu runs across Kim Pan-su (Yoo Hae-jin), who end up working with him. But this does not prove easy under the ironfisted Japanese authorities.Inside Me(Korea) Opened Jan. 9Comedy, FantasyHigh school student Dong-hyun (Jin Young) falls from a building a

Jan. 17, 2019

[K-talk] Winner kicks off North American tour in Seattle

Winner made its first North American tour stop, “Winner Everywhere Tour in Seattle,” at the city’s 2,807-capacity Paramount Theater on Tuesday.This year marks Winner’s launch in the North American market, expanding from last year’s Asian tour. (YG Entertainment)The quartet performed a series of its best-known hits from “Really, Really,” “Everyday” and “Air,” as well as its latest releases “Millions” and “Movie Star.” Each of the four members also staged a solo performance to add to the show’s va

Jan. 17, 2019

[K-talk] Sunmi’s first world tour ‘Warning’ to premiere in Seoul

Sunmi is embarking on her first concert tour as a solo artist. Representing the singer, Make Us Entertainment released the list of stops and dates of the tour dubbed “Warning.” (Make Us Entertainment)Kicking off in Seoul on Feb. 24, the tour stops at eight North American cities -- San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, New York, Toronto, Washington -- and three Asian cities -- Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo.The notice also teased additional stops to be announced, which will include c

Jan. 17, 2019

[K-talk] Monsta X makes Billboard’s list of top 10 most anticipated K-pop releases of 2019

Monsta X’s upcoming album was included in Billboard’s list of top 10 most anticipated K-pop albums of 2019, with Billboard introducing the group as having held “(its) biggest U.S. shows to date (in 2018)” and “the first K-pop group to play on iHeart’s Jingle Ball tour.”During the group’s interview with Billboard, its member Kihyun heightened anticipation for the new album, teasing, “(Monsta X) has some stuff with other artists, but it’s top secret.” (Starship Entertainment)The septet’s EP “The C

Jan. 16, 2019

[K-talk] BTS’ ‘Love Yourself’ concert documentary to hit cinemas Jan. 26 as one-day event

BTS’ 2018 “Love Yourself” world tour will be screened at 3,800 cinemas in 95 countries for just one day on Jan. 26. The film documents the August premiere of the ongoing 20-city world tour in Seoul. The Seoul shows, held for two days on Aug. 25-26 at the Seoul Olympic Stadium in the city’s southern district of Songpa-gu, sold out 90,000 tickets. (Pathe Live, Big Hit Entertainment)The upcoming film is not the septet’s first concert documentary. “Burn the Stage,” which captures the group’s 2017 “T

Jan. 16, 2019

BTS album ranked on Billboard chart for 20th consecutive week

K-pop boy band BTS' latest album, "Love Yourself: Answer," ranked on the Billboard 200 album chart for the 20th week in a row, the latest chart showed Wednesday.The album came in 78th on the album chart for the week of Jan. 19, slipping from last week's 59th. It was the 20th week in a row or the fifth month that the album has been ranked since it landed atop the chart in early September.   (Yonhap)The same album also was No. 1 on Billboard's World Albums chart, with BTS topping the Social 50 cha

Jan. 16, 2019

[Kpop Herald x TwitterBlueroom] B1A4 notches 500,000 viewers on Twitter Blueroom live

K-pop boy band B1A4 met with fans at Twitter’s Blueroom live session at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, with the hourlong Q&A show exceeding 500,000 viewers.The trio is the first to hit the social media giant’s flagship live broadcast this year, held at Twitter Korea’s iconic headquarters situated on the 41st floor of a skyscraper in Gangnam, southern Seoul, capturing the city’s skyline. It was also a memorable moment for the band, as CNU will leave to begin his mandatory military service next week. With exc

Jan. 15, 2019

GOT7’s Jackson sings ‘Fendiman’ at Milan Fashion Week

Jackson of K-pop act GOT7 performed his song “Fendiman” at the end of the Fendi’s fashion show held Monday during Milan Fashion Week.A video released on Naver’s V Live showed the scene in front of the venue before the show. An overwhelming number of fans had gathered to see the rapper, calling out his name. At the end of Fendi’s show, Jackson appeared at the balcony on the backdrop of the runway singing the song “Fendiman” in English. The 26-year-old became the first artist to sing at a Fendi fa

Jan. 15, 2019

‘The Man Who Laughs’ wins big at 2019 Korea Musical Awards

“The Man Who Laughs” got the last laugh at the annual Korea Musical Awards Monday night at Seoul’s Blue Square, winning acclaim for best musical, best actor and best theatrical arts.Its lead Park Hyo-shin won best actor -- an honor he shared with Choi Jae-rim of “Matilda” -- for playing the role of Gwynplaine. He also won best actor at the seventh Yegreen Musical Awards on Nov. 5 for the same role.“It’s been quite a while since I started appearing in musicals, since 2009, and I haven’t done many

Jan. 15, 2019

‘Odd Family’ a rare zombie comedy with veteran actors

Zombie movies are scarce in the world of South Korean film, perhaps because domestic film budgets can’t compare to those in Hollywood. Then again, it may simply reflect the preference of moviegoers here. “The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale,” Lee Min-jae’s directorial debut, takes a rare path as a horror-comedy that draws laughs by focusing on the absurdity of the situation.“Most zombie films would start with a (zombie) virus spreading from a populated area, but (“The Odd Family”) is a story about a

Jan. 15, 2019

Seoul Jazz Festival invites world-class jazz musicians

Seoul Jazz Festival has announced its preliminary lineup, including Wynton Marsalis, Omara Portuondo of Buena Vista Social Club and Clean Bandit. Wynton Marsalis (Private Curve)　Nine-time Grammy-winner trumpeter Marsalis was the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1997 with “Blood on the Fields,” a jazz oratorio that is an orchestral rumination on slavery. He is currently the managing and artistic director of jazz at Lincoln Center.  Omara Portuondo (Private Curve)　Portuon

Jan. 15, 2019

LA Phil to play themes of ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Star Wars’ in Seoul

The Los Angeles Philharmonic will perform film scores from “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” “Jaws” and other Hollywood blockbusters, in tribute to John Williams, a legendary film composer. 　 The orchestra will hold a concert entitled “Celebrating John Williams” at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in eastern Seoul on March 17. Film composer John Williams (Mast Media)Williams is a film composer who created original soundtracks for various hit Hollywood productions. Conductor Gustavo Dudamel will lead the

Jan. 15, 2019

[Photo News] 2019 Korea Musical Awards shines with stars

The night of the 2019 Korea Musical Awards shone bright with musical stars on the red carpet. With many musicals staged last year, a diverse group of stars nominated for awards attended the event held Monday. (Photo By Kim Hye-soo/The Korea Herald)Musical couple Kim So-hyun and Sohn Joon-ho stepped on the red carpet in a fairytale-like dress and tuxedo respectively. Kim wore a peach bell-shaped dress, looking like an empress -- just like the character Elisabeth she currently plays in the musical

Jan. 15, 2019

GFriend marks successful 4th anniversary with new full-length album

Six-piece K-pop girl band GFriend released their second full-length album, “Time for us,” Monday as the group marked their successful fourth year on the K-pop scene.“Time for us” is the band’s first full-length album since the release of their first, “LOL,” in July, 2016, and their first music release after their EP, “Sunny Summer,” in July last year.The 13-track album comes as the band celebrates this week the fourth anniversary of its debut with the EP “Season of Glass” in 2015.  (Yonhap)The m

Jan. 14, 2019

College brings BTS to entrance exam, sparking debates

K-pop group BTS has appeared as a drawing topic for a college entrance exam in Seoul, touching off a debate about its fairness.  (Yonhap)The 2019 Art and Design drawing test for Seoul Women’s University’s Ceramics & Fiber Arts major was to “draw a craft object based on your image of BTS.” The university provided a side note clarifying that BTS are singers. The test details prompted some internet users to take issue with its fairness, especially for those who are not familiar with BTS. In the hyp

Jan. 13, 2019

[K-talk] ‘Burning’ wins Best Foreign Film Award from France Club Media Cine

Director Lee Chang-dong’s film “Burning” was named the best foreign language film of 2018 by the France Club Media Cine on Wednesday.According to CGV Arthouse and the association on Friday, the Korean film took home the Best 2018 Foreign Language Film award among prominent nominees including “First Man,” “Shoplifters,” “The Guilty,” “Isle of Dogs” and “Phantom Thread.” (Pine House Film)Earlier, “Burning” participated in the 71th Cannes Film Festival as the only Korean film officially invited to

Jan. 11, 2019